Security at worship sites
Background Congregations are bolstering safety and security. Alarm systems, electronic entry systems, video cameras and hired security guards are the norm. "Unfortunately, churches aren't immune to security measures," said the Rev. Tom Burke of St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland, which pays plainclothes security guards to patrol the church to keep panhandlers from hassling parishioners and crooks from making off with donations, robes, artifacts or more. "You want to think you're safe, but people steal -- even in church," said Burke, whose father and brother are Pittsburgh police officers. Burke declined to say how much the parish pays to hire security guards, but said it isn't cheap. "But you can't really put a dollar amount on safety and security." Details Figures for crimes committed at houses of worship are hard to come by. Sometimes they're lumped in with school crimes. Police catalogue crimes by block, not location. State officials keep tabs only on hate crimes committed on religious property. Holy Rosary Church in Muse, Washington County, was burglarized Oct. 27. The thief smashed a stained-glass window before entering the building and drinking three bottles of altar wine. Also last month, someone broke into the office at the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and stole several thousand dollars. "With the situation around the world, we are always concerned about safety and security at our place of worship," said Zohra Lafania, an administrative staff member at the Monroeville mosque. In response to the theft, the Muslim Community Center altered its "last person lock the door behind you" policy and installed an electronic keypad entry system, Lafania said. "Safety is a big, big issue for us right now," Lafania said. "It is very sad, because we don't expect that with a house of worship." In 2000, Richard Baumhammers, then of Mt. Lebanon, shot up two synagogues -- including Beth El in Scott Township -- while on a killing spree that left five people dead, including a Jewish woman. Baumhammers, now 41, was sentenced to death and is in the State Correctional Institution in Greene County. After a shooting at a Seattle Jewish center in July, 2006, Pittsburgh's then-mayor, Bob O'Connor, ramped up police presence around city synagogues. "Security is an issue, and it will be for some time, I'm afraid," said George Simmons, regional director for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. "Most people are extremely security conscious these days. Any places that aren't secure now are likely to have a problem -- break-ins, graffiti, vandalism or worse." * 80 percent of religious institutions don't do much in way of security. Yet simply taking a few low-cost measures can dramatically increase safety and security, Spacek said. He referred to these as the "five L's" of crime prevention: lock doors and windows, keep landscaping to a minimum around entries, have adequate lighting, start a church "lookout" group similar to a neighborhood watch group, and establish a good relationship with law-enforcement agencies. Links Media * Houses of worship face threat of crime Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in November, 2006 category:religion